IBM to expand BPO operations in PH

MARIELS Alemda Winhoffer, president and general manager of IBM Corp—the first Filipina to hold the post.

MANILA, Philippines—US -based technology giant IBM Corp. will continue to expand in the country as part of plans to grow its high-value business process outsourcing (BPO) operations.

IBM Philippines president Mariels Almeda Winhoffer said this would bolster the country’s position as a key component of the global operations of the firm known as “Big Blue.”

This expansion will entail hefty investments and a significant increase in current headcount, officials said, but declined to give details.

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Much of the growth will come from IBM’s planned BPO operations in the provinces. This year, IBM opened two new branch offices outside Metro Manila: Davao and Clark, Pampanga. Winhoffer, the first Filipina to head IBM’s Philippine operations, said as much as half of the company’s revenues could come from outside Metro Manila.

She said new jobs would be created in the company’s analytics outsourcing operations, high level customer support for the firm’s social business, and a new Philippine Systems & Technology lab being established in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology.

Through the expansion, IBM hopes to grab a significant piece of the global IT analytics market, estimated to be worth $160 billion.

She said the new jobs would pay higher than typical call center jobs that make up two-thirds of the country’s $11-billion BPO industry today. It would also require employees to have a higher set of skills.